Ariarne Titmus insists she wasn't planning on firing a warning at compatriot and club-mate Mollie O'Callaghan.
Titmus says she only had one plan when racing her fellow Australian in a cagey 200m freestyle semi-final on Sunday night at the Paris Olympics.
Australia failed to add to the two golds and two silver medals claimed at the pool some 24 hours earlier.
Emma McKeon was the sole Dolphin in a final, finishing sixth in the women's 100m butterfly.
Titmus and O'Callaghan both cruised into Monday night's 200m freestyle final as the top-two qualifiers.
Titmus won narrowly ahead of O'Callaghan but dismissed any significance of the result.
"You always want to be in the middle of the pool in a final and get yourself in a good position," she said.
"But that was really the only plan for tonight, I tried to conserve as much as I could."
Titmus touched in one minute 54.64 seconds, six-hundredths of a second quicker than O'Callaghan in second.
Titmus six weeks ago broke O'Callaghan's world record in the event and the Paris final looms as a match-race between the swimmers who are both coached by Dean Boxall.
Titmus is seeking to become the first swimmer to successfully defend 200m and 400m freestyle titles at an Olympic Games.
On Saturday night, she banked the first leg of the double by winning the 400m freestyle while O'Callaghan also collected gold as part of Australia's triumphant 4x100m freestyle relay team.
McKeon, Australia's most successful Olympian, couldn't add to her medal collection in the 100m 'fly final when sixth in a race won by American Torri Huske.
McKeon touched in 56.93 seconds with Huske (55.59) taking gold ahead of fellow American and world record holder Gretchen Walsh (55.63).
"I was pretty slow, not what I was expecting, but that's swimming," McKeon said.
The medal race was McKeon's last individual swim of an Olympic career which has reaped six gold medals, more than any other Australian.
The 30-year-old, who was also part of Australia's gold-medal winning 4x100m freestyle relay team, will feature in medley relays later in the Paris program.
Australia's Olympic debutant Max Giuliani booked a berth in Monday night's men's 200m freestyle final when fifth-fastest through the semi-finals.
"It was awesome, my first Olympics and now I am going into my first final which is amazing," he said.
Giuliani's Dolphins teammate Thomas Neill failed to advance and Australians didn't feature in Sunday night's two other medal races.
French megastar Leon Marchand won the men's 400m individual to delight the parochial sell-out crowd.
"I had goosebumps before and during the race too," Marchand said.
"I was trying to focus on myself but it's really hard when 15,000 people are cheering for me."
Italian Nicolo Martinenghi won the men's 100m breaststroke.
